Odds & Ends

Admittedly, I didn’t watch too much of the Phils this week. I just can’t get into a late-June interleague series against Oakland. First of all, the games start at 10 PM which doesn’t bode well for me when I have to get up at six for work the next day. Secondly, I just can’t get myself too juiced for these road interleague series. What do I care about the Oakland A’s? Chances are we won’t see them at any time in the next 3-4 years. There just isn’t much there to connect to. The print media and TV personalities try to throw out the “Jimmy Rollins returns home” or the "Phillies-A’s both from Philly" angle, but I don’t buy it. I didn’t spend any time with Jimmy Rollins in high school and the A’s left Philly 60 years ago. I don’t mind the history. No doubt, baseball is full of great history. Just don’t pretend these 2008 teams are renewing a rivalry. It’s a stretch.

Since I don’t have much to offer as far as new insight on the Phillies, I figured I’d just tie up some loose ends tonight. So without further adieu…

• Let me start by offering my apologies for a huge oversight in my previous post about the potential C. C. Sabathia trade. I failed to mention the most recent Phillies pitching bust: Freddy Garcia. Take a look at the line on this guy last season: GS 11, W 1, L 5, IP 58.0, H 74, R 39, ER 38, ERA 5.90. This was coming off a season in which he posted a 17-9 mark. Granted, you can’t fault Pat Gillick for making the move. He needed to bolster the rotation and we sure know Gavin Floyd wasn’t getting it done. But c’mon. How can he be this bad? Then, this whole thing about a possible hidden injury during his physical came out and he was history. Just another entry in the Phillies encyclopedia. However, Garcia further proves my point that the Phillies shouldn’t sacrifice too much to acquire a starter. There’s a 98% chance the move will bite them in the long run.
  
  
  
  
  
• Speaking of bad Phillies pitching, the Brett Myers BP Tour rolled into Texas on Friday night and surely didn’t disappoint the Rangers’ offense. Myers went 2 innings while giving up 5 hits, 4 walks, 5 Earned Runs and a homer. Currently, Myers’ ERA stand at a lofty 5.84 and his record sits at 3-9 after 17 starts. Given this current situation and taking into account the Phillies’ lack of pitching options, I propose MLB institutes a Brett Myers Rule. Basically, when Brett Myers starts, the Phillies should be spotted 3 runs. Just like that. That way, we have a chance to come out of the first inning tied at 3. It’s the only way to give the team a Phightin’ chance since Brett seems to enjoy getting shelled early in every game. Either way, it looks like we may get a chance to put away our alkaseltzer tablets soon. Reports indicate the Brett may be headed to the bullpen. Let’s just make sure we’re up by 6 runs before we insert him in the game.
  
  
  http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3465606
  

• Ed Stafanski made his first draft selection as President and GM of the Sixers on Thursday night, opting to take Florida big man, Marreese Speights. Honestly, I can’t say I followed too much of the draft this year or any year for that matter. I find it extremely hard to get excited to sit around and watch a bunch of guys in suits shake hands with the Comish and fake a smile. I’ll get excited when the season starts and I can see how this guy plays. On the surface though, it looks like the Sixers made a pretty good pick. They needed some help in the paint and they definitely addressed that. Although, according to this clip, he may be a work in progress:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• My friend Dan texted me on Friday afternoon about this whole Ed Wade choking story. All weekend I’ve turned this thing over and over in my mind and I just can’t come up with anything witty or poignant to say. The whole thing is just so insane. I just can’t shake the image from my head of Ed Wade berating and then tussling with one of the players. The whole scene is just infathomable. How does Ed regain the respect of his club after a mess like this? There’s nothing more I can say.

No, No Sabathia

When Dan Dean sent me a text message this afternoon to get my thoughts on the C.C. Sabathia trade rumors, I realized I hadn’t written about it all week. Not wanting to let Dan Dean down, I figured I’d address this whole C. C. Sabathia situation.

It’s easy to get caught up in the trade deadline hoopla, especially when your team is in the hunt for a playoff spot as the Phillies are. Normally, the Phillies frustrate me by not making a move or making a soft move. This year, though, I hope the Phillies keep relatively quiet at the deadline. I know I am in the minority with that statement, but let me explain my reasons.

Yes, I admit a proven starter like Sabathia could bolster the Phils starting rotation. I stress the word could. The Phillies don’t exactly own the best track-record when it comes to acquiring veteran pitchers via trade or free agency. Remember Kevin Millwood…Eric Milton…Andy Ashby? In the Phillies hitter-friendly digs, starting pitchers struggle as soon as they put on the Phillies uniform. Who’s to say Sabathia would not fit this mold?

With that in mind, consider the price tag to nab Sabathia. In the most likely scenario, the team would part with proven major leaguer Shane Victorino as well as stud pitching prospect in Carlos Corrasco. I have no problem if the Phillies bait the hook with Victorino. They have depth in the outfield. They could compensate for the loss of Victorino. However, I don’t like the idea of moving a solid prospect like Corrasco. Take a look at the Phillies pitchers who have enjoyed even mild success in the past few years: Brett Myers, Cole Hamels, Randy Wolf, even Kyle Kendrick. What do they have in common? They are all a product of the Phillies farm system. I don’t suggest the Phillies farm system is a pitching factory. However, when you play in a hitter’s park like CBP, it’s tough to bring in a dominant starter via free agency or trade. Instead, the Phils must product their own top-flight pitching. We can’t risk a potential stud starter for an uncertain veteran.

Plus, the Phillies currently win games with offense. As we march through the summer and toward the playoffs, the Phillies will continue to win with offense. So far, the lackluster starting pitching has not hindered the Phillies. Why mortgage your future to fix something that isn’t broken?

To me, it just doesn’t make much sense.

Time’s yours.

Ooops

Proof-positive I am still learning this blog thing. My links did not work in the today's orignal post so here ya go:

Kobe-Shaq Video:

http://www.tmz.com/2008/06/23/shaq-attacks-kobe-you-ruined-my-marriage/

David Murphy's blog:

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/phillies/

Enjoy!

Every night, I complain to my wife about how I have already run out of ideas for the blog. In this age where everyone writes a blog, I wonder how long I keep this thing interesting and read-worthy. Then, I wake up to this little beauty and I realize I'll never run out of material.



How great is this? I found myself singing this to myself all day today at work. When a sports rivalry crosses over into the celebrity gossip pages, you know we have something entertaining on our hands. Kobe vs. Shaq has crossed that line.

In fact, being the pro-wrestling nerd I once was (and admittedly still am sometimes), I realized we have the makings of a great pro wrestling storyline. Think about it: the heel (Kobe), slowly grows jealous of his more successful babyface tag-team partner (Shaq). Throw in the whole "Kobe caused my divorse" angle and Phil Jackson as the guest referee and I'll pluck down $40 bucks to watch that. Don't kid yourself. You would too.

Moving along.


I'm sure you're tired of the media bombarding you with stats about the Phillies offensive futility over the last couple of weeks. However, I still feel the need to point out Daily News beat writer David Murphy's blog post yesterday. He threw out an alarming stat about the Phillies run production this year. Basically, the Phillies have scored 30% of their 303 runs scored in only 11% of the games. Murph explains this much better than I could so I'll just link to the blog. Either way, that stat really made me think about the inconsistency of this offense. Sure, they'll throw 20 runs on the board some nights, but if they come back with 1 or 2 the next, is it worth it?

Here's the link to High Cheese, David Murphy's Phillies blog:

>

The Phils begin their 9-game road trip in Oakland tonight. Of course, Oakland isn't exactly the ideal location for an offense in need of a jump-start, but the Phils will need to figure some way to get things going tonight or things could get ugly for this team. Anyway, I hope to see the following out of our beloved Phightins in tonight's game:

• Jimmy Rollins sparks this offense in his hometown of Oakland.
• Jamie Moyer turns in a solid outing that allows the Phils to get on the board first and play with a lead for once.
• Chase Utley builds on the double he hit in Sunday's game and find that "Chase Utley" groove once again.

Follow this recipie and the Phillies should come away with a "W".

Time's yours.

And the Struggles Continue

The Phillies offensive struggles continued this afternoon as the L.A. Angels beat the home team 3-2 today. The Angels' win polished off a three-game sweep of the Phightins and dropped the Phillies to 1-5 for the homestand.

I realize the point has been beaten to death over the past week, but this team really needs the offense to break out of its funk. Since their 8-2 win over Boston on Monday night, they have averaged just 1.8 runs per game. That's not going to get it done. Granted, they did face some great pitching over the course of this homestand in John Lester, Ervin Santana and Joe Saunders. However, if this team wants to not only make the playoffs, but make some noise in the postseason, they need to hit the quality pitching.

On the brightside, Brett Myers pitched pretty well in Saturday night's game. He did give up three homeruns, but two of them were to Vlad Guerrero so that doesn't count. (Vlad absolutely kills the Phillies. It doesn't matter who we throw out there. We could bring Lefty back in his prime and Vlad would still find a way to get 3 hits. I'm glad this guy is in the AL West now and we only have to see him once every three years.) Perhaps, Jim Salisbury's column in Friday's Inquirer rattled Brett enough. Of course, he still took the loss, but he pitched into the 8th and kept the Phillies in the game. Hopefully, he can build on this and regain his old form.

The Phillies need to get it together on this upcoming road trip or they may come home to a chorus of E-A-G-L-E-S chants.

Bumps in the Road

When you come into another team's home park and outhit the home team 17-2, you'll probably come away with the "W". That's exactly what the Los Angeles/Anaheim/California Angels did tonight in front of another sell-out crowd at Citizen's Bank Park. The loss drops the Phils to 1-3 on the current homestand and 3-7in their last 10.

The Phillies offense continues to struggle in this homestand. In the last three games, the Phillies have scored only 5 runs. Hardly enough for a team so reliant on their ability to score in bunches. It's no secret the Phillies starting pitching is suspect. The team relies on one dominant lefty ace in Cole Hamels, one seasoned veteran who can give you a solid outing most of time in Jamie Moyer, two guys who, on a good night, may be able to pitch well enough to keep you in the game in Kyle Kendrick and Adam Eaton and one fallen Opening Day starter who can't find his way since rejoining the starting rotation after spending last season in the bullpen in Brett Myers. With a starting rotation that looks like that, this team must score a ton of runs to win games. They won't win many 1-0 or 2-1 games. Instead,they must count on that loaded offense to score 6, 7, 8 runs a game. If the offense slumps, the Phils sputter. We see evidence of that now.

Make no mistake about it though this offense will find its groove. It's too potent not to. When you have 2 former MVPs in Howard and Rollins and a potential MVP in Utley, you will hit the ball eventually.

On another note, Jim Salisbury of the Inquirer penned a great piece in today's paper which essentially called out Phillies struggling starter, Brett Myers. Salisbury did not mince words in the piece. Instead, he decided to get right to the point:

"Yo, Brett, you stink. You're 3-8 with a 5.58 ERA in 15 starts. Your club is 4-11 in those starts. You're supposed to be better than this. Are you?"

That about sums it up for me. We'll see what Myers does tomorrow night against Vlad's Angels in game 2 of the series. Good luck Brett, you'll need it. Anyway, here's the link to Salisbury's story:

www.philly.com/philly/columnists/20080620_Jim_Salisbury__Trade__Phils_just_need_Myers_to_improve.html

Goodbye Curt

Today, former Phils starter and ego-centric blabber-mouth, Curt Schilling, called it a season, and, quite possibly, a career, when he announced he will undergo shoulder surgery early next week. Schill grated on the nerves of many, but I always liked the guy. Sure, sometimes we all wanted him to shut up, but you can't question the guy's intensity. He brought everything he had to mound every single night. He was the perfect fit for Philadelphia when he was here and, if he does decide not to resume his career, I'll miss watching him pitch.

Red Sox Nation Arrived

We knew it was coming and it finally arrived.

After a whole lot of hoopla, Red Sox Nation finally invaded Philadelphia last night. For the next three days, we will need to endure those annoying Red Sox fans lining the stands of Citizen's Bank Park. On the bright side though, we won't have to listen to Wheels or Harry the K constantly promote Red Sox tickets via six-game packs, four-game packs or special pre-game tailgate packages anymore this season.

Seth Everett of MLB.com put it best yesterday morning on WIP when he said this series with the Red Sox and the next series with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (what a name!) will serve as a good litmus test for the Phils. We may get a good look at the true makeup of this team it takes on the best the American League offers.

Last night's game showed the Phillies can, indeed, hold their own with the defending World Champs. Jimmy Rollins jumped-started the offense, as only Jimmy Rollins can do, by drilling a homer to the second deck in right field. Ryan Howard also charged the offense last night with two homers and a triple. Couple the Phils' almost-nightly offensive surge with a strong perfermance from the ace, Cole Hamels, and you have the ingredients for a solid Phils win.

Of course, these are the Phils we know and love and things can come crashing down rather quickly. As I write this, the Phils trail the BoSox 3-0 in the bottom of the 7th of tonight's second game of the three game set. I still hold hope the Phils can nab 2 of 3 from the Sox and then another 2 of 3 from the Halos this weekend. Then, we'll know we have a series contender on our hands. For the time being though, I'll enjoy the ride.

Speaking of laying our playoff hopes on this Phillies squad, I found this beauty on Youtube tonight. Quite frankly, it doesn't have much to do with the rest of this post, but it's my blog so I will post it anyway. Enjoy!



Time's yours.

Leading Off...

I've been thinking about blogging my thoughts on the happenings of the Philadelphia sports world for some time now. I like to write and I love sports, so it only seems natural for me to put the two together. I kept putting it off with various excuses such as a lack of solid ideas and a lack of time. However, my wife tells me that I will have plenty to write about and Neighbor Dave insists I have the time. I quit arguing with them. So here I am.

I'll write as often as possible. Although I am sure the demands of the real-world will get in the way some of the time. If I had to venture a guess this early in the process, I would say most post will center on the Phils or Birds. However, I definitely sprinkle some tidbits about the Sixers and Flyers as we go along.

I realize the title is a little weird, so I guess I owe an explanation. It comes from the fact that the parking at the sports complex is now $11. I find this completely ridiculous and I haven't shut up about it for the last month and a half. What bothers me about the whole $11 thing is not the increase from $10 to $11. That's life. Prices increase. See gas prices. Instead, it's the inconvenience of $11. I now have to pull out a $10 bill and a $1 bill to pay for my rented parking space. If I don't have a $10 bill and a $1 bill, I'll probably have to resort to giving the parking attendant a $20 and then wait while he/she counts out $9 in change. Think about how much time and effort this is costing the parker and the attendant. Who are they kidding anyway? We expect to be ripped off when parking at the stadiums. Why not just go through with it and raise the price to $15. That way, I can hand the guy my $20 and he only has to find a $5. Much easier. Anyway, now that I've wasted a good 30 seconds to 2 minutes of your life, I'll quit my tirade about parking at the sports complex. I just find this whole situation amusing and completely ridiculous which mirrors the Philly sports landscape pretty well so I decided to name the blog after it.

For now, I really just wanted to write a brief intro about the blog and the content you can expect to see in it. Hopefully, I'll at least be able to keep this up through the summer. I'm sure I'll come up with something witty, insightful, or outright ridiculous for my next post. Considering this area's sports history, it shouldn't be too hard.